File preparation guide
Canva PDF for print — how to download it right
Canva can produce a file that suits a print shop, but its defaults suit screens. A few choices at the start and at download separate a file that passes from one that comes back for fixes.
Choose the right size before designing
Create a custom-size design, in millimeters or inches, at the finished size of the product: a business card, an A5 flyer, a sign. Resizing after the design is finished moves everything and distorts proportions.
Turn on print bleed
In the File menu turn on "Show print bleed". The line that appears marks the bleed: backgrounds and photos that reach the edge are stretched to it, so a small trim shift does not leave a white strip.
Keep text away from the edge
Text, logos, phone numbers and QR codes stay at least 3 mm inside the trim line. A thin frame hugging the edge will be trimmed unevenly.
Download "PDF Print"
When downloading, choose the file type "PDF Print", not "PDF Standard", and check "Crop marks and bleed". Download all pages, then open the downloaded file and check that the background continues past the trim line.
Images large enough
A photo that looks sharp on screen can print blurry. Use the largest original you have, and do not stretch a small image to fill the page.
Color: be careful and check the proof
Screen colors (RGB) can look different on paper, often duller. The print shop can tell you what comes out in practice, and the proof is where you see the result before anything is printed.
What Drapress checks when the file is uploaded
When you upload the file, Drapress checks the size against the product, measures the bleed on every side, marks text that is too close to the trim line on the page, calculates the resolution of each image at its printed size, checks that fonts are embedded and detects RGB images and colors. You see the findings on the page itself.
See it in action
In this video (75 seconds, no sound) a sample file goes through the Drapress check, from upload to sending it to the print shop.
Read the video as text
The file looked fine on screen. At the press, the bleed falls short. And a photo that may print blurry. Upload your PDF. Your original is kept. Live view of every check: size, bleed, fonts, colors, images. Bleed missing on page 3: a thin white strip may show after trim. Step by step: the photo on page 5? Replace it, or accept it as it is. Screen colors (RGB): the shop converts them for print; shades may shift. Missing bleed? A few clicks build it from the page's own edge. It fixes only what is safe to fix. Before and after: the background now runs past the cut line. A warning left? You decide, then send it to the print shop.
What an automatic check cannot catch
The check does not know what you meant the design to show, or how a color will look on paper. The proof shows that, and the print shop decides the rest.
